Fiction:Draconid Imperium/Religion

Officially, the Draconid Imperium is a secular state. Religion is discouraged from political discourse and laws are approached with a secular mindset. But as a melting pot of countless cultures and ideas, spirituality within the Imperium is a rich tapestry of beliefs, ideas, proposals and rituals. Throughout the millennia attempts have been made to temper the various ideas into something harmonious.

Other notable dates

Policies

On war

On peace

On afterlife

Souls reborn in draconis heaven(non-draconis) respective afterlife

On non believers

Varies:(Draconis) To turn your back is to forfeit everything (non-draconis) no interest

Drakvon'trevendaus (Dracid: Lifefather's philopsophical Path; also Drakon's path) Is historically the dominant religion of the Draconis themselves. Historically a philosophical faith consisting of various cultural rituals and philosophical debate, millennia of integration and harmonsiation with thousands of alien ideas has transformed it into a syncretic system of beliefs that spans the entire Draocnid Imperium. Unofficially, reverence for Drakvon'trevendus is almost synonymous with respect for Pax Draconica.

The earliest instances of the Following date back to some 320,000 years ago on Alcanti. According to legends and scripture, a scholar of Dagonris by the name of "Orlonis the Elder" held a delegation on the banks of Lake Drak that lasted several months discussing matters of society, culture and the merits of what constituted a good life and a stable society. Although it was not part of the original tale, subsequent retelling claim that the figures Orlonis engaged in discourse with was in fact a single avatar of Drakon.

The modern philosophical faith did not appear as a majority idea until some time in 276,820 BCE. Before then, the matters Orionis had considered with the other figure were mainly a point of discussion among scholars and intellectuals while the majority of Draconis kept to their beliefs in the old gods. Because many of these scholars still accepted the old pantheons, there was only a small degree of friction between the philosophy's followers and the majority of the population. It was not until 289,920 BCE that things changed. Following the power vacuum that permeated the retreat of the ancient Minosian Empire, clerics of Dagonris developed a cult that put their capital at the heart of a divine empire with the desire to replace the fading power of Minosis. Scholars understand it was the formation of the diocese of Dagonris that led to the propagation of the Following of Drakon's Path among a wider population.

This new following however was radically different from the intellectual doctrines that began with Orlonis the Elder. It was in this time Drakon was ascended from a pagan entity into a patron creator deity, and where the stories that it was Drakon and not a collection of philosophers that inspired Orlonis to write his teachings began. Although the old ideas of self-improvement and rational discourse were still discussed among the educated population and in academies managed by the Following, the majority were offered a different ethos. That their ability to perform hard work and become masters of a craft was a celebration of the gift Drakon gave to the Draocnis as thinking beings. Although the influence of Minosis lingered, politics and ethics in Miminas and partly within Annekhas - the two continents considered the centre of the civilised world - were eventually dominated by the philosophies of Drakon's Following.

The Following grew into a powerful entity on the continent of Miminas, acting as a a mediator between the provinces that gained independence from the waning power of the Minosian Empire. Their monopoly over the reproduction of what was titled Dranemo Tuatis spread Alcanwas further, beyond the former borders of the Minosian Empire and preserving the language. Dagonris' Autarch was made into a figure ordained to rule by Drakon himself, an idea that spread to many states as a means for kings to secure the legitimacy of their authority, establishing a system of divine right among the various nations. It is thought the wisdom of archcleric Tanerevus V in 286,720 BCE was what laid the groundwork for the Following's eventual transformation into a syncretic faith. He deduced that Orlonis' writings only talked about the nature of all gods, never saying there was only one nor putting one being on a particular pedestal. To smooth religious tension when proselytising to new lands, the idea formed that Drakon was but one form of the divine. That other religions were not necessarily wrong in their beliefs, and their views might be different interpretations. Tanerevus' mandate was that Drakon was different things to different peoples. This idea found broad acceptance from the intellectual quarters of society, who had long debated this notion when observing the patron deities found across Miminas and Annekhas.

What transformed the Following from a theocratic principle into the modern philosophical ideology it is today was the development of the printing press. Even by c. 276,820 BCE he old ideas that Orlonis had written about and tried to spread still lingered in university communities and among the nobility. With access to a way to reproduce books without the authority of the clergy in Dagonris, scholars across Miminas were able to spread their own ideas, and made an attempt to revive the old philosophies. For two centuries, and lingering for much longer, the diocese of Dagonris waged a war of suppression as industrialisation and increasing access to public education eroded their old philosophies.

It was archcleric Ticonivus X that ultimately ended the worst parts of the division. Calling a meeting known as the assembly of Vormothis, Ticonvius discussed with two hundred and fifty scholars from across the two continents on a solution they could both agree on, becoming popularly known as the assembly of two-hundred-and-fifty-three. Ticonvius did not want to see the power of the Diocese of Dagonris destroyed, nor did he believe the scholars' writings were heresy. Instead, the two parties agreed on merging the philosophies. The philosophies the scholars suggested would become a more prominent part of the Following's ethos while the spiritual aspects such as the divinity of Drakon and the spiritual significance of festivals and ceremonies remained the authority of the Diocese. Not all problems were fixed however, even after the assembly many intellectuals continued to push for a dissolution of the divine right. At the same time however, contact was being made by the inhabitants of Ossilas. The later exchange of ideals, including the Ossilans' own philosophical take on the pursuit of knowledge further reinforced the claims made by Miminan intellectuals. Though a number of revolutions converted many states to secular republics, a few nations still held on to a divine right even though much of the power was actually in the more secular governments.

One of the more major reforms of the teachings' philosophy came during the advent of physical augmentation either from genetic engineering or the addition of synthetic components. In the early years there were arguments that they diminished the purity of the Draconid from and the pursuit of mastery while more moderate spokesmen saw the technology as more an ability to enhance what nature had provided. Debates on the matter lasted long, and the issue maintained itself for centuries, even when the moderate or even the radical proponents for enhancement ended up laying the groundwork for the later paradigm shift in what being called a "Draconis" would mean, particularly prominent after the passing of the first era of the Imperium where the progenitor Draconis species was supplanted by alien 'successors' that took on the original species' name as a mantle.

The formation of the Draconid Imperium saw an enormous shift in the way religion played into politics. When the Alcanti Solar Confederacy was reformed into a hegemonic federation, divine right was over time granted to the paragavatus, the head of state. Subsequent revolutions and philosophical discussions bestowed the paragavatus with the image of an exemplar; that the paragon was a physical pinnacle of what a Draocnis to aspire to: Physically fit, mentally cunning and a master of his or her interests. This idolisation gave birth to the Paragavatus Dranva - the cult of the divine paragons - that went further and proclaimed the paragon as either a representative of Drakon in the material universe, or a minor god in their own right.

The diverse array of sects and followings that come under the observation of Drakon's Path mean that the Following is considerably decentralised. While in other more centralised faiths the role of the head of faith and their leadership might be to enforce the divine mandate, the role of the central Diocese of Dagonris is to facilitate mediation among the many sects and systems. While the various sects differ in opinion, administrative roles among the mainline groups are primarily occupied by women, although this is more less the case in the present as more men gai nfavour and prove their wisdom.

At the top of the Following, said to be a living representative of the divine, is the archcleric. Officially they are the elder pastor of Dagonris and administrator for sermons and services in Dagonris, they also chair assemblies of the archpastors and meet with the heads of the numerous sects during ceremonies. The archcleric is historically chosen by the council of archpastors for their devotion and study of the Divine Lessons. The archcleric's position, along with other ranks, is considered for life. Because of the perceived correlation with age and wisdom, rarely is the archcleric less than 500 years old, to be younger than 400 is an extreme rarity that requires demonstrating wisdom far beyond their years.

the 100 Archpastors oversee the parish and district followings consisting of thousands of worlds each, due to their low numbers, archpastors will most of the time only give sermons and blessings at the monasteries and temples located in their baseworld. Below them and serving a more local function are the pastors, temple elders of regional capitals who observe and monitor goings on in a subsector. Pastors blur a line in the Following hierarchy as below them the Following becomes far more diverse and localised. Pastors can be the heads of these local sects and are often in direct communication with archpastors, who adminstrate the overall following. When there is pressure to spread the faith to include new regions, it is the pastors who oversee the integration process. Although not officially part of the integration process, these figures work with civil servants to oversee including a new territory within the Imperium. A mentality of caution around introducing new ideas however means a pastor can find himself spending centuries, if not the rest of his life, slowly examining and propoising ideas to harmonise the new ideas and the cult itself.

Senior clerics are the congregation heads of each temple on a single planet and are the ones who generally host mass at the local level. There is frequently more than one senior cleric found on each world who cooperate during mass and sessions of spiritual guidance. They are attended to by countless clerics who often go out into the community to give guidance and support and study the texts.

At the lowest rung of the cult's hierarchy are the apprentices. They study under the clerics, often doing so in a temple's library, and attend to a cleric under a master-student principle. Officialy they are still training and are often young aspirants seeking to help people and gain a deeper understanding of the faith.

The central tenets of belief among adherents to Drakon's Path are laid out in the Celestial Lessons. A collected works of theologians, philosophers and intellectuals who discuss and analyse the nature of reality, the nature and purpose behind mastery and self-improvement and what it means to lead a prosperous and balanced life. As philosophical discussion has been encouraged since the Following's foundation (with origin myths stating that the groundwork was laid by a congregation of philosophers or a discussion with the Lifefather himself, depending on interpretation), the Celestial Lessons are seen by most as the collective ideas of a thousand generations of philosophers inspired by the divine rather than the infallible words of a divine being.

The collected works in their entirety has traditionally been stored in the catacombs beneath the grand monastery in Dagonris, where the cult started. A consequence of the sheer volume of Lessons and the ever-expanding collection of them means that a more pragmatic approach is taken to their interpretation and study: Adherents are not required to read them all, save for venerable theologians, nor is it considered a bad thing to know all the texts. What is encouraged is to understand the lessons that are most pertinent to the life and lifestyle of the individual, with other ideas being a close second. Indeed, while the debate process makes the collective works less prone to contradiction, some ideas can appear that way by their nature as not all principles can apply to everyone. Sects are frequently defined not just by astrographical or demographic boundaries but also by what grouping of lessons they feel are the most important.

As a syncretic system of beliefs, the Celestial Lessons contain ideas from all walks of life. This idea has been encouraged by the clergy, who see harmonisation, rather than exclusivity and dogmatism as the best answer for encompassing the creeds and ideas that exist across the Imperium. Among the ideas shared is a united cosmology that seeks to explain all deities, supernatural realms and the nature of reality. Equally, the requirement to worship or revere all gods under Drakon's Path is discouraged, preferring a principle where the Lifefather is acknowledged, belief in other gods is respected, but reverence is only given to the beings or entities important to the individual in question. Often this idea takes the form of Drakon taking on a local name or identity as the one god or a king of gods, with lesser gods (should local beliefs talk about them) standing as his protectorates and working under him. In some sects, Drakon has even been known to be female or lacking a specific gender

What the clergy encourages is that all these ideas might be right, and that the divine beings take many forms to reassure the moral beings they interact with. When an outside faith insists there is only one divine being, that all others might be false or charlatans, the clergy are not forceful in their discrimination. Adherents to the idea there is only one god might be introduced to the idea that their deity is a form for Drakon and that other gods might be fragments of him.

The namesake of the Celestial Lessons is an idea shared by the ancient Draconis and many elements of other sects: That the heavens are perfectly structured, mechanical and orderly, and that to aspire to be like this is to be divine like the heavens above. Various cultures have numerous ways of explaining what this means, but the idea of being mechanical and methodical like the sky above permeates philosophies on architecture, literature, science, art and even combat. Permeating the universe is a life-force that has many names but which flows like wind and water through the material realm, and that designing an environment to harmonise with this flow will bring good things.

Beyond the physical world, metaphorically surrounding it are countless celestial utopias for those who pass away. While originally Drakon's Path talks of Drakon's Garden, where the children he sculpted, the Draconis, are reborn with their innocence restored and play among the trees and flowerbeds of an eternal summer. Because numerous faiths have also shared origin stories, Drakon's Garden is not the only paradise, and some texts suggests that the garden and its owner looks different and interacts differently for every species. In between these, and filling the space between space, is the Void. A realm of eternal blackness where no light can be seen. The total absence of everything that is not quite oblivion, where the souls of the forgotten and the damned drift blind and forever alone in a black sea of nothing that is of an incalculable scale.

The description of paradise vary with the culture and the ideas that form them. Some forms of paradise are more innocent than others, some might be uncomfortable for all but the culture that devised them, but even those of outside cultures are represented. "Paradise" within the Following is understood to be a catch-all term for whatever heaven the soul of the dying for blessed will go to when they die. While the Void describes the nothing that awaits the damned and has even been known to be a stand-in for more punitive realms. To the Draconis however, who prize memory, longevity, prosperity and legacy as everything important, there is no worse torment be trapped in an abyss where there is only you, your thoughts, and no sense of time in an eternal dead realm. So even if damnation involves physical pain, torment, and even death for eternity, such places will still be called the Void by practitioners.

Meaning "the Song" in an ancient Alcanwas dialect, Eche is thought to be a life-force, the concept of which predates the teachings of Drakon. Both in contemporary and pre-Following philosophy, Eche was said to be an energy of which memory comes and goes. A person's Eche resonance would be expelled from the body and would carry an individual's deeds and reputation outwards. A person's Eche resonance was thought to be an aura that carried that person's accomplishments though the air to anything that could pick it up. The strength of Eche from any point correlated with the strength of the memory. It was thought that the stronger an individual's resonance, the more the emissions would persist after the individual's passing.

Echa was also thought to be absorbed within objects of significance to the person that owned them, created them or the person resembled. Paintings and sculptures took on a spiritual significance as they were said to hold a fragment of the resonance of the artist that created it and the subject. Later ancient varieties of the philosophy held that every object carried a resonance, while places that held many resonance fragments were thought to draw in Eche from the outside. Under the repository philosophy, museums, cathedrals, art galleries and mausoleums were said to be focal points for the gathering of Eche as they were often the sites of depictions and portrayals of individuals in life. In ancient times a Songseer was said to perceive the resonance many individuals possess, and many claiming to be Songseers claimed they could tell of a persons' greatness and how long their memory would last by sight alone.

Because it is thought that the residual Eche carrying a person's memories can persist in an area can last for decades or centuries if the resonance was strong enough, a strong enough Eche resonance was seen as a means of spiritual immortality. Some superstitions suggest that if the Eche resonance in an area was particularly disturbed, the area could be haunted by the phantoms of those who had passed. Some clerics of monasteries and cathedrals meanwhile, practicing differently to Songseers, were thought to be able to commune with the dead whose resonances collected in the places of honour and worship they claimed as a focal point. Mausoleum guards, sometimes nicknamed Song-wardens or grave-talkers, were expected to not only protect the grounds, but also to protect and commune with the deceased occupants that they watched over. They were expected to comfort them from loneliness and console them about the world of the living.

The flow of this energy from place to place was also significant in daily life. Early architects believed that directing the flow of this energy and keeping its travel smooth was key to creating good vibes. It was considered a serious matter to design a building so that the life-force could flow freely and easily to where it was most desired. Palaces, temples and even entire cities, where it could be afforded, were planned so as to promote the flow of Eche. Although the practice of Eche-related planning has waned with time, architects and planners continue to practice some measure of this, believing that ancient architects used the idea to explain the effective flow of air and people through a structure or settlement.

Expanded though the annexation of hundreds of distinct systems of belief, there are said to be as many ways to understand what Drakon is and what the Celestial Lessons offer as there are stars in Andromeda. To this end, sects in the Imperium and beyond often define themselves by how they understand Drakon, what they interpret him to be, what names exist for him and his disciple gods and what are the most important of the Celestial Lessons. Just as easily however can sects be defined by how they interpret the Celestial Lessons.

Along with annexed beliefs, numerous subgroups of the following have emerged with varying ideals and opinions on what constitutes to a correct lifestyle. Due to the risks posed by such deviation, the Grand Inquisition holds the right to inquire on and put pressure on sects that the elders deem detrimental to the well-being and spiritual advancement of its members. Several sects interrelate to each other and although some may conflict, most of them have some logical take on the cult's ideals. Some of the larger sects include:

Ascendists
Ascendists believe that one method of self-improvement is meditation and self-realisation. Ascendists believe that Drakon gains his power from meditation and becoming one of mind-and-body through meditation and spiritual enlightenment. While the goal of each ascendist is ambitious, it has nonetheless created a pool of essence-users that has garnered interest from both the Royal Academy and the Grand Inquisition. Numerous inquisitors partake in practices associated with the Ascendist doctrine and a byproduct is that this is a rapidly-growing sect favoured by the Inquisition.

Echevitarists
Echevitarists believe that Drakon is an energy being, an entity formed purely of memory energy. While Ascendists believe that Drakon was a mortal being empowered by spiritual enlightenment, Echevitarists eblieve he is empowered by the currents of memory energy that permeate the universe. While other sects are largely cohesive, Echevitarists are divided into two cults: Echegenesists, who believe that Drkaon is either an entity born from the raw currents of Eche or a manifestation and the source of all Eche in reality, and the Echascendists who ebelive him to have been a Songseer who was able tap into the raw currents of memory energy and become one with it. Both cults believe that as an entity of memory energy, Drakon is omniscient, the only being in existence that can remember as far back as the beginning of reality and holds the power to direct the currents of memory energy across the cosmos.

Cyclerists
Cyclerists believe that Drakon is an entity created by a closed timelike curve. They believe that he is in fact a hyperadvanced Draconis that has used clarke-grade technology to create a causality loop. Cyclerists themselves believe that, among Draconis, "We came from Drakon and we will become Drakon" and believe that the Imperium is guaranteed to be eternal and will develop to match the first civilisations of the universe. Upon reaching this level, one of the population (or all of them) will take on the mantle of Drakon and one day create their own Draconis. Spiritual Cyclerists believe that Drakon is a Draconis who ascended spiritually to start the cycle again and that there are signs of "proto-Draconis" scattered across the universe. There is debate as to how the entity begins each cycle and if the same method is used each time.

Encompassissts
Encomasppsists believe that the Book of Divine Teachings has wisdom to impart on everyone, not just the Draconis. They are one of a small number of sects that permit aliens to join and host the largest numbers of non-Draconis practioners within the Following of Drakon's Path.

Equalitists
Equalitists believe that Drakon values all species on equal standing and that no species is "above" the others. Equalitists often lobby against the need to restrict the right of travel for alien powers. More vocal members express that the provincial system and Pax Draconica is a reminder the Draocnis are above others, a philosophy the group despises. Along with the Encompassists, their growing numbers and the growing presence of alien followers adds to their curiosity.

Evolutarians
Growing considerably since the Draconis published their equivilent ot Darwinian evolution, the doctrine of the Evolutarians states that Drakon only influenced the Draconis rather than created them from raw material. Evolutarians believe that being created by a highly advanced being would make the Draconis lesser beings compared to autonomously-evoloved lifeforms, which would be a severe moral blow to draconid culture.

Shadowcrowners
Shadowcrowners beieve that drakon has been subtly influencing Imperial (or pherhaps all of Draconid) history through the numerous royal lines. there is debate amongst them on whether the Era of Imposters was engineered by Drakon to test the Imeperium with a 'false' ruler, or if House Khaxvis rebelled against him in a bid (whether with good intentions or not) to prove they were not his puppets. House Ultanos is often cited as being his most recent puppet group. The Shadowcrowns mostly beleive that Drakon is secretly imparting his wisdom on the Ultanos in order for them to develop the Imperium in the best way possible. The Inquistion is questionable of this sect with concern that their doctrine is an attemtp to impose a form of divine right on the Paragon Lines.

In the mid AD 2790s a divergant sect of Shadowcrwoners emerged who believed Tyraz to be the Imperium's latest puppetmaster. With debate as to whether or not he is a puppet himself, or an incarnation of Drakon.

Solinamists
Emerging more recntly, Solinamists believe that the Capricyránae of the Cyrannus Galaxy (called Solinami Fretma in High Dracid) are spiritual twins of the Draconis. The cultural similarities that exist between the two calls for Solinamists to consider whether or not the Draconis are in some way linked to Cyrannus. This is bolstered by many opinions across the Gigaquadrant that Capricyránae and Draconis share numerous cultural (and in some cases biological) similarities. Solinamists believe that at some point in the past of both races there was a connection. Many Solinamists have spent the last few years working out what this connection could be.

Xenosilists
Xenosilists believe that Drakon, instead of being a supreme being, is in fact a hyper-advanced alien from some unknown (perhaps even collapsed) civilization. Xenosilists challenge the view that Drakon is a divnine but aknowledge that he has influenced the Draconis in some fashion. They are known to treat the shores of Lake Drak as a sacred location where Drakon landed and consider that, as expected, he has the ability to chnge his form at will though technology or cultural perceptions. Xenosilists still debate as to whether or not Drakon still created the Draconis (in a manner similar to numerous biotech firms) or if he merely influenced them at soem point in their development.

As a set of beliefs, Drakon's Path is ubiquitous across the Draocnid Imperium. While the Imperium claims to be secular, the ideas the Path presents permeate every level of society to such an extent where acceptance of Pax Draconica is synonymous with recognition or even reverence for Drakon as a spiritual father-figure and vice versa.

The Diocese of Dagonris believes that Drkaon's Path has something to offer everyone in the universe. Hundreds of Millennia spent absorbing other ideas and mixing them to form an encompassing narrative has made the beliefs open to outside ideas, making the Following a thing of interest but also a potential threat. The clery, generally ,prefers peaceful expansion. Under the principle of Pax Draconica they are not allowed to expand or convert by force, while this hasn't comforted those wary of its spread, other places and realms outside the Draconid Imperium are growing receptive to the ideas it proposes and the philosophies of debate it advocates. Practitioners are taught to be all-inclusive, so what can often be the case is practitioners accept some interpretation of an outside faith and its mythology long before integration into Drakon's Following becomes visible or even possible. Which has on occasion been taken for blasphemy by practitioners of the faith being integrated.

It is possible that the gradual acclimatisation of other societies to the Draconid Imperium has promoted the spread of Drakon's Path into alien societies such as the Kicath Empire and Remnant and the Mardvaeli Republic. However in most of these alien societies it primarily exists as a minor belief compared to other more prevalent faiths in non-draconid societies.

(Dracid: Divine Paragons) is a cult of personality dedicated to the Paragons, treating them as divine beings. Although it's true origins are unknown, it is one of the few cults of personality that are safe from the inquisition. Most often honouring the paragons is a private affair although some more parochial cultures have been known to set up community temples in honouration. The Inquisition has so far kept its distance on the basis that the cult appears to act as a body for die-hard imperial loyalists and as a group that fervantly opposes the Khaxvis Resurgence

Most followers are non-draconis, and are species who come from provinces and protectorates within the Imperium. It is a trend that the less advanced the province was before being absorbed, or the more backwards a culture is compared to the Draconis, the more extremely the divinity is perceived.

Because the Paragon may or may not actively support the cult, it is highly decentralised and uses the reigning Pragon as an idol rather than an active religious leader. What organisation there is groups believers into communal sects based on location, each sect is headed by a "senior" who organises community gatherings and readings. Community gatherings are often small, congregating at the senior's house or a community hall. Each and every member has the chance ot know each other and he senior.

Despite the existence of communal sects, it is popular to onour or worship the paragon within one's own home. Private shrines and autobiographies of past and present paragons are popular material for followers. Depending on the believer, the paragon's words and beliefs are followed as mandate or guidance. One unifying aspect, conducted by sects and private worshippers alike, is the demonification of House Khaxvis, who many believe became imposters masquerading as gods and never gaining the position legitamately.

What also varies is the idol in question. Some prefer to follow a single paragon (commonly the present one as with some species he or she lives for generations), others beleive that the position of pragon is innately divine and that becoming paragon or being related by blood to one gives you "divine blood". The divine blood theory, due to the extensive ties each Grand House has with each other and to House Ultanos, implies that most nobles are considered at least partially divine.

It is disputed what it takes to be considered an official follower of Pragavatus Dranva as what makes a follower varies drastically. Some loyalists dispute that followers such can revere the paragons as lightly as a form of celebrity adoration but like everything about the cult's workings this is often up for discussion. While the more typical form of the cult has hardly expanded outside the confines of the imperium (perhaps due to agnostic or atheistic social pressures), the spread of idolisation of one or more the paragons is more widespread outside the imperiums' borders. The latest example being Uriel Ultanos, who gained recognition within the galactic community for achieving feats beyond the capacity of any normal man.

“There many ways a mind can interpret how important the spirits of universe are like. There also many ways a mind can become in tune with spirits, and have help from them. The Drakon religion is fine example.”